03/14/2019
When considering movement of the human body, we talk about movements occurring in 3 different planes, sagittal (forward and backward), frontal (think side-to-side), and transverse (rotational movement).
All of our daily functional activities occur in a combination of all 3 planes. This is especially true for athletes, as participation in sports requires them to move in all directions at a variety of different speeds and sequences. One issue in training is that many classic exercises occur dominantly in the sagittal plane. This can lead to a neglect of body’s need for developing motion, strength, speed in the other planes. Finding ways to incorporate other planes can help prevent injury and better prepare you to return and perform at a high level in your sport.
One way to start to incorporate other planes when training the lower body is by utilizing the cross over or curtsey lunge. Instead of stepping straight backwards to perform a lunge, step back and in a diagonal behind your body. This increases the demand in the transverse and frontal planes and will challenge your hip and lower body in a new way that is usually neglected with just straight forward/backward lunges.
Want to learn more about training in a way that helps prevent injury? Give us a call at (402) 609-1750 to learn more about our SportsMetrics or other programs.
